


To All Those I've Lied To

by Emono



Series: Saw AU [2]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Drama & Romance, Drug Use, Infidelity, M/M, Saw AU, Shady shit goes down, Survival Horror, some gore, some smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-07 14:06:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11060565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emono/pseuds/Emono
Summary: Detective Joseph Liebgott is as dirty as they come. He’s hellbent on revenge against his former partner and he’ll cross any line to do it. Lieb’s boyfriend is a college student, a goody-two-shoes-know-it-all who’s oblivious to the man’s double life. Jigsaw takes an interest in the dirty detective and David becomes his reward, his prize. But only if Lieb is willing to burn through all his mistakes and reveal his lies. There are no more shadows to hide in.





	1. Chapter 1

**Takes place at the same time as "Think Atlas", stories cross**

 

* * *

 

 

“There you are, Perco. You haven’t been answering the phone. You okay there, buddy?”

 

“I’ve been busy.”

 

“Busy with what, huh?” Dark eyes flashed at him. “Ducking me?”

 

“C-Come on, man, don’t do this,” Perconte begged through the crack in the door.

 

There was a chuckle from behind the wood before it was kicked in.

 

It was childsplay for Joe to bust the chain and muscle his way in. Perco was half his size and he almost felt bad when a few gut punches seemed to stun him. _Almost_. He shoved Perco against the counter and held him high by the heft of his shirt, making him arch up on his toes. He took little satisfaction out of the way the man coughed and struggled for breath. “You’re going to testify against Molisanti and you’re going to make me look good.”

 

“He’ll kill me!” Perco slapped his palms against his arms, pushing against him with no avail. “These wops, man, they’re fucking mad crazy.”

 

“If you don’t, _I’ll_ kill you,” Joe reminded him with a little shake. “And that’s a promise. They don’t have access to a database with your bank account numbers, your blood type, your fingerprints, right down to your herpes strain, _fucker_.”

 

He put a little emphasis with a heavy knee in the man’s gut, making him sputter.

 

“You’re going into witness protection tonight. I’m setting you up good, Perco,” Joe explained calmly, rubbing his back as he hacked. “So Monday you’re going to be a good songbird and tell them everything I told you to. Got it? Or I’ll beat you with a sack of oranges cause I’m not stupid enough to bruise up that handsome mug of yours.”

 

“You know that’s a myth, right?” Perco wheezed, bent in half as he tried not to throw up. “With enough blunt force any blow can bruise.”

  
Joe rolled his eyes. “What, did Mythbusters run a marathon while you were tweaking? I told you to lay off that crank, man. You gotta’ sleep sometime.”

 

The sound of heavy-handed violins went off in the quiet apartment and Joe rolled his eyes with a sudden, affectionate smile. He easily tossed Perco over the counter face-down and whipped out his sidearm, digging the barrel of the gun into the back of his head.

 

“Christ, Lieb! What the fuck!”

 

“Don’t say a fucking word. I’m serious. Or they won’t find where I’ll put you,” Joe swore with a growl. The informant quieted down to a whimper. Joe dug the gun in for good measure and pinned the man’s legs with his own before he pulled out his phone. He admired the goofy tongue-out picture of his boyfriend before he answered. “Hey, babe. Did your boss like the story?”

 

“ _He loved it! It just need some tweaking and it’s ready!_ ” David sounded bright and bubbly, obviously riding the high of a job well done. His boyfriend had been slaving over this story for weeks and he deserved every drop of praise. “ _He says a few more high profile stories like this and he’ll put me on payroll. I believe him this time_.”

 

“You watch yourself, okay?” Joe cautioned. “Don’t let that asshole take all your best work and not put you on the team.”

 

“ _I will. How did your day go?_ ”

 

“Taking care of business.” Perco squirmed against the counter and he pointedly tapped his head with the barrel. “Nothing as exciting as your day.”

 

“ _I wanted to ask your opinion about something_.”

 

Perco seemed to be trying to edge out from beneath him and Joe wasn’t having it. He reared up and dug his heel into the back of Perco’s knee, jamming his nape with the gun. Perco choked back a yelp and went still again. “What’s up?”

 

“ _I was thinking about taking some classes at Fordham to round out my resume. You know, expand my mind a bit._ ”

 

“Baby… _law_?” Joe wrinkled up his nose. “That doesn’t sound like your wheelhouse.”

 

 _“Exactly why I should_ ,” David snapped. He could practically hear his boyfriend’s hackles rising. “ _What? You don’t think I’m smart enough to delve into your side of the world?_ ”

 

“I believe my Harvard prince can do whatever he puts his mind to,” Joe smoothed over. “I just don’t want you wasting your time and money on something you can’t use.”

 

“ _Well fuck you too._ ”

 

“Listen to all those feathers getting ruffled,” Joe snorted. He noted the time on Perco’s microwave and grunted in annoyance. “I have to get going, babe. Short answer? Fuck yes. If you can afford it take the classes. Learn and grow and all that good shit. We can talk about it more tomorrow if you want. My place?”

 

“ _Are you going to cook_?” The reply was hesitant and it sounded like David was pouting. He wanted to bite that pretty lip.

 

“Do you want me to cook?” Joe needled teasingly.

 

“ _Yes_.”

 

“Then I’ll cook something up for us,” Joe promised. “Me, you, and that new whaling documentary I was telling you about. I think it’s going to piss you off good and proper.”

 

“ _If I have to watch assholes make soup out some poor whale’s eyes, I’m going to scream_.”

 

“How about you come over, watch it with me, and I’ll make you scream in other ways?” Joe tempted, ignoring the way Perco was rolling his eyes.

 

“ _Deal._ ” He could hear the smile back in his boyfriend’s voice.

 

“And Web?”

  
  
“ _Yeah?_ ”

 

“I’m proud of you.” He hung up as David sputtered over the line and set his phone aside before delivering a swift punch to Perco’s ribs. The man choked and jerked beneath him. “Now, what are you going to do?”

 

“Rat,” Perco grunted.

 

“Good.” Joe patted his head before putting his gun away. “Pack your shit, you’re coming with me.”

 

o0o

 

Date night had gone well. David had come over and they’d both worked themselves up into a screaming match with the TV as some asshole poachers tried to justify the ‘work’ they did. They’d eaten, debated over the ethics of the Navy’s lack of involvement, and things had grown so heated they’d ended up fucking against the wall and once more when they’d thrown each other into the bedroom. David was a hellcat, a whirlwind, a storm that reflected in the ethereal glow of his eyes. He’d made David come three times though the last time was dry.

 

Joe wasn’t as young as he used to be but twice was respectable.

 

He was spread out on his mussed bed in a warm sex haze. He was barely smoking the cigarette between his fingers as he let the pleasant tingles of a good fuck work away any lingering work tension. He could hear David showering just across the hall. He wouldn’t have time in the morning if he wanted to get to work on time and he wanted to stay the night. Joe had no objections to sleeping next to the prettiest boyfriend he’d ever gotten his hands on. He cared about David. Loved him, even. But he’d never say it. David was a smart kid, he probably knew already, but there was no reason to make it hurt even more when the man finally wised up and left.

 

Joe’s phone started to go off and he groaned, praying it wasn’t work. He rolled onto his stomach and grabbed it off the nightstand before answering. “Liebgott.”

 

“ _I need a favor_.” He recognized the voice right away and smirked.

 

“It’s going to cost you.”

 

“ _Whatever you want_.” It seemed Luz was desperate tonight. Toye must have left him high and dry again.

 

He didn’t feel much like messing with the tweaker, not since David had come into his life, but he couldn’t let him slide or he’d get comfortable. “Our usual agreement.”

 

“ _No. No way._ ”

 

“Stay there,” Joe ordered. He rolled onto his back and looked toward the open door. “Web! Baby? You done yet?”

 

But the shower was roaring and he could hear music playing.

 

“You suck me off and get your blow, and Toye never knows.” Joe spoke low and fast into the phone, ears trained for any suspicious sound. “And he’ll keep not knowing if you be good and do what I tell you.”

 

“ _Come on, man, I’ll do anything, just...not that. Please? I’m trying to get it right with Joe again._ ”

 

“If you were really trying to make it right with him, you wouldn’t be calling in the first place.”

 

“ _Fine! Fucking fine._ ”

 

“Not tonight, I’m busy. Tomorrow. Your place.”

 

“ _Sure_.”

 

Joe hung up with a snicker, taking a long drag off his smoke. His arrangement with Luz had never meant anything. It had always been a powerplay. He’d never forced Luz into anything and he’d never really meant to. The sweet thrill of Toye’s devastated face when he finally found out was a siren song to his revenge. When he thought about how he was treating Luz, how he was technically cheating on the guy he loved, he felt like a complete bastard and a true criminal.

 

But a hot hit of coke always purged those feelings.

 

Smoke curled in the air and he thought about Toye. That fink, that _fuck_. They’d been partners for six years and just when Joe was striving for a FBI position Toye had undermined him and taken it. He’d abandoned Joe with a smile on his face and hardly a look back. For years, Toye had got all his best intel fucking the CIs to keep them loyal with blackmail. Back then, Joe had been straight edge and sure that hard work would get him where he wanted to go. He had big, shiny dreams of climbing the federal ladder. Special Agent, clawing all the way up to ASAC, maybe even SAC.

 

Joe had kept his partner’s dirty secret for years. He’d confided in Toye about his dreams and he’d been encouraged, thoroughly supported in every way. Toye had pushed him to turn in his application even when he’d had doubts. And then the announcement came in the bullpen that _Joseph Toye_ would leaving them to take a Special Agent position in the FBI and would become their new liaison.

 

Joe had been demoted for the betrayed rage that had burst out of him then. How he’d hit Toye...he’d been knocked down a few pegs with a harsh reprimand.

 

Since then he’d been working his way back to the top by any means necessary. Beating down CIs, hitting the streets, trading intel for drugs, and above all hounding Toye’s own CIs to get the jump on Toye when he got the chance. Just to fuck with him. He wasn’t sure if Toye even knew how much he hated his fucking guts but he didn’t care. He was going to get him back one day. Joe was fucking around with Luz all the time, giving him an easy line of coke for the occasional blow and info on Toye’s work. Joe had a couple videos of fucking Luz and the guy begging for it but none with his own face in it. One day he’d show Toye but only when the time was right. Only when he knew it would hurt Toye the most.

 

He didn’t notice the water and music turning off but all his attention was stolen the second David walked into the bedroom. He stubbed out his cigarette and wolf whistled at the sight. David was naked save for the towel scrubbing over his hair and every inch was just perfection. He’d been trapped in the city too long, he’d lost his beach tan a while ago but that only made the hickeys and scratches all over his body that more noticeable. His boy was a swimmer and a runner and was rewarded with soft definition along his chest and hips, but his freelance lifestyle left his tummy and thighs soft. He’d never had a lover so hairy before but that thick pelt was always soft under his fingers and he loved it.

 

“You come here often?” Joe teased, waggling his eyebrows.

 

David laughed and climbed onto the bed with ease, throwing a leg over his waist. Joe cupped his hips to help him balance as he straddled him but there was no need. David was smiling and sure, hands braced on the detective’s chest as he settled onto him.

 

Joe was savoring the feel of those fat cheeks against his skin and there must’ve been some lust-drunk expression on his face for how fast he was called out. “What are you thinking about?”

 

“How those Harvard boys wish they’d gotten a piece of your tight ass,” Joe drawled, getting a playful smack on his chest. “Hey!”

 

“Fuck you, Joe.” But David was grinning.

 

“If you ask nice,” Joe shot back, delivering a sharp smack to his boyfriend’s ass for good measure. David jumped and they both erupted in laughter. Joe quieted in delighted surprise when the man dipped down and kissed him. It wasn’t playfully biting or mesmerizingly deep but it touched his heart. Joe loved these moments between them. Soft and sweet, fun. It made him forget he didn’t deserve him.

 

David was from a good, high society family and despite how rough he liked to play he was pure. Pampered and delicate in places, bathed in milk and honey to make him velvety soft from his hair to his fingertips. He was a modern Disney prince except he couldn’t carry a tune. He was too good for him. Joe was trash from the streets who’d gotten lucky and he knew it. If David had been a woman he would’ve begged to marry him right then and there because he never would’ve found any better. But David wasn’t, and thank God because that cock and that tight ass were too good to waste. They had taken things more casual because of the controversy of his job, a little slower, but even that still burned white hot.

 

David deserved better and he was smart as a whip. One day he’d figure that out.

 

Until then, he’d kiss David on those perfect candy lips and hug him tight and argue with him until they were both blue in the face. He’d do it while he could cause it was all he was going to get.

 

David hummed as he broke the kiss, fingertips trailing along Joe’s jaw with a little smile. “You sure it’s okay if I stay over?”

 

“Stay,” Joe breathed. He splayed his hand along the other’s lower back and pressed him closer. “Please?”

 

Any sting in his pride was smothered up by the pure affection shining in David’s eyes. Their noses brushed and his heart fluttered. “Okay.”

 

o0o

 

Joe lit up a cigarette with a scoff as he listened to Luz rinse his mouth out in his scuzzy sink. “I’m sure you’ve had worse than me, Luz.”

  
  
“Shut up,” the man snapped, voice muffled by his toothbrush.

 

“You addicts,” Joe puffed in amusement. “Mouthy and twitchy.”

 

When Luz emerged he looked even more grumpy. The poor guy had been jonesing since the other night and he looked like he’d been sulking in bed for days. Toye really was doing a number on this one in particular. Maybe next time he’d just let him off with giving over info. It wasn’t like he didn’t have enough proof to hurt Toye as it was.

 

Joe tossed a baggy on the bed. “Toye looking for anyone in particular right now?”

 

Luz shook his head and sat down on the bed, glaring at the coke.

 

“He’s over here a lot,” Joe pointed out, flicking his ashes in a discarded cup. “Why?” Luz shrugged again and the silent treatment was getting old. He hadn’t had to rough Luz up since the first time in fear of Toye getting suspicious but he wasn’t opposed to back handing him for the hell of it. “So he’s just popping in to fuck you, that it?”

 

He snorted when Luz honest-to-God blushed.

 

“Christ. Aren’t you lovebirds adorable?”

 

Luz fingered the baggy but didn’t move to open it. “I don’t want to do this anymore, Liebgott.”

 

“I know, honey,” Joe crooned. “But as long as you belong to Toye, you belong to me.”

  
  
Dark eyes dragged up to him and the resignation in them managed to tug at a heartstring or two. “So there’s no scenario where I win this?”

 

“There’s no winning for any of us,” Joe tisked. “You get coke, Toye gets laid, and I get to fuck with him.” He stubbed his smoke out on the old dresser and eyed the addict. “But, uh, no more blow for blow. You just make sure to get something valuable out of him when he comes over. Got that?”

 

He tried to sound hard but Luz wasn’t stupid. Sometimes pathetic and always mouthy, but definitely not dumb. “Why?”

 

“Your mouth isn’t _that_ good, Luz. No matter what Toye tells you.”

 

But those eyes were fathomless and he knew he was going to suckerpunch him if he didn’t knock it off. “Did your boy find out?” He sucked his teeth and the addict cocked his head. “So what? Guilty conscious? That’s rich, Detective.”

 

“Kiss Toye for me, bitch,” Joe snarled on his way out, making a point to knock over the lamp by the door. It fell with a satisfying crunch and shatter. “I’ll call you.”

 

o0o0o0o

  
  
David’s lungs were burning from his frantic sprint by the time he got back to his apartment. He slammed the door behind him and threw all the locks. He squinted through the  
peephole but there was nothing on the sidewalk. He _swore_ he’d seen someone out of the corner of his eye all the way home even on the subway. The breaking point had been a man across the street in a hood watching him. Shades, a firm mouth, pale skin, a slighter frame but no less intimidating.

 

He pressed himself against the door and dug his phone out of his jacket. His fingers were starting to shake but he managed to dial his boyfriend’s number. His voicemail clicked on with a beep and he wished desperately it was the real thing.

 

“Lieb?” David hated how his voice was trembling. He swallowed a few times to try and steady it. “I’m fine, I just wanted you to know that I’m a little freaked out right now. I think someone was following me home? I don’t know. Maybe it’s nothing. You always tell me I worry too much.”

 

He dug his palm into his forehead and tried to calm his racing heart.

 

“Could you, uh...maybe swing by after work or something? I’m kinda shaken up and it’d be great to have a cop in the house.” He tried to laugh but he could hear how rattled it was. “I’ll make it worth your while. Call me when you can, okay? Even if you can’t come over I want to hear your voice.”

 

He hung up and scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Fuck, I’m such a scaredy cat.”

 

o0o

 

Joe saw the voicemail from David as he climbed the steps to his apartment. He frowned a little and made a note to listen to it when he got inside. He dialed Hoosier’s number as he sorted through his keys.

 

“Hey, buddy,” Joe began when his friend’s voicemail kicked in, unlocking the door and shouldering it open to his dark apartment. “I know you’re busy. Haven’t heard from you in a few days. I wanted to talk about our camping trip.” He dumped his keys and wallet onto the table, flicking on the lamp. “We need to iron out some details. You better be safe out there, asshole. Call me.”

 

He hung up and headed toward the fridge. He took a beer out of the crisper and popped the lip against the counter. The cap went flying and clattered beneath the dishwasher. Every time they spoke outside a private face-to-face they used that code - camping. It meant they had business. It meant one of them needed a cover up or to dig up dirt outside their jurisdiction. They’d been friends for years and their relationship had become a little dirty after his shit with Toye.

 

Joe drained the beer and binned it. He started toward the bedroom when his phone buzzed again. It was a picture message from Hoosier.

 

“This better not be your dick,” Joe griped as he fumbled for the lightswitch to his room. It loaded as he found the switch and flicked it. There was a distinct _pop_ and he groaned in annoyance. He used the white loading screen to see his way toward the closet where he kept the spare bulbs. The light changed as the picture popped up. Joe turned the phone around and squinted at the bright screen. His eyes struggled to adjust but he saw bits and pieces at a time. A dark blue sweater and a bright red gag between pink lips. _Is this porn or-?_

 

“David,” he gasped when he caught sight of those eyes.

 

It hit all in the same moment. Fingers curled tightly in his hair and jerked his head back. There was a pinch in his neck and he jerked away. He threw a punch in the dark as his phone went flying but it wasn’t enough. Strong hands curled in his shirt and threw him against the wall. His vision swam and he fought against it but it was a losing battle.

 

“Lights out, Detective.”


	2. Chapter 2

_“You like this boy?”_

 

_Joe wiped his mouth and licked the beer foam from his thumb. “I really do.”_

 

_Hoosier stared into his draft with a thoughtful frown. “He’s real high class, huh?”_

 

_“My up-town princess,” he chuckled._

 

_“You love him?”_

 

_That was a loaded question if he’d ever heard one. “Christ. What’s with all the questions?”_

 

_“You gettin’ dodgy on me, Lieb?” Hoosier needled. “You love him or what?”_

 

_“Maybe, okay?” Joe bit out. His friend really had a way of getting under his skin. “Fucking maybe. What do you give a shit?”_

 

_Hoosier’s grin was disarming. “When have you ever known me to give a shit?”_

 

_Joe rolled his eyes and downed the rest of his beer. “Asshole.”_

 

_“You still fucking that Luz guy?”_

 

_“Is that what you’re concerned with? My morality?” Joe scoffed. “You were fine with it before I told you about Web. What’s so different now?”_

 

_“Nothing, I guess,” Hoosier drawled. Joe could see that his friend was trying for bored and nonchalant but he was failing. They’d known each other too long to fool one another. “You just weren’t in love before. It’s the first time I’ve heard you say you did more than fuck someone.”_

 

_“I’ve dated,” Joe defended lamely._

 

_“Sure,” Hoosier snorted, swirling the dregs of his beer. “I just think you should stop fucking Luz, is all. If this kid finds out about it and he’s half as smart as you say he is? He’ll get the hell out of Dodge. He deserves better.”_

 

_The words hit close and he winced. “You don’t even know him.”_

 

_“You love him. That’s all I need to know.” Hoosier signaled the bartender for two more glasses before turning to glare at the detective. “Listen good. In our line of work, one bullet can end it all. One wrong choice and it’s all fucking over. You like this boy, you better make things right. I’m not saying go straight but stop sticking your dick where it don’t belong.”_

 

_“Shut the fuck up,” Joe growled, forcing a smile for the pretty bartender and slipping her a twenty. “Whiskey, cheapest you got, neat.”_

 

_“So, shots?” she challenged._

 

_“As many as this buys me.”_

 

o0o0o0o

 

David woke gasping into a cement floor, body frozen where it had been pressed against it for who knows how long. Panic struck him hard and he jolted, jostling his ribs and elbows as he scrabbled to get up. The room was dark save for a red emergency light but he didn’t recognize it. It was just a bare room, harmless, but his heart was pounding so hard he swore he could feel it in his throat. It was pounding wildly and he choked, flailing wildly towards the walls in hopes of finding a switch. His fingers mashed against brick and he yelped, dragging them back to cradle against his chest.

 

The lights came on with a thunder and he stumbled under the sudden blaze, his eyes bursting in a shock of pain. He hit his shoulder off the wall and panic seized him. His stomach churned and he dry heaved. Past the convulsions he managed to find his voice.

 

“What the fuck is going on?”

 

o0o

 

“ _What the fuck is going on?_ ”

 

That voice cut through the thick fog of drugged sleep and ripped Joe to the surface. He gasped like he was breaking through water. His eyes popped open to a room he’d never seen before. It was washed out in a green light and there was only one door out, everything else boarded up tight in one way or another. He went to stand and nearly knocked the breath out of himself.

 

He was taped to a chair. A fucking _chair_.

 

Joe forced his breathing under control and started to take stock, first of himself and then the room. He was a little cloudy so he must’ve been drugged back in his apartment. His jaw hurt and two of his back teeth were throbbing something fierce but he didn’t taste blood when he licked at them. He was strapped by the wrists and ankles to a metal chair but it was just with regular grade duct tape. The room was grimey but tiled and cluttered with what looked like useless hospital equipment. An overturned gurney, a broken file cabinet, splinters of cookie-cutter furniture and scraps of papers. There was a TV on a cart and above that was a mounted screen of sorts.

  
  
It didn’t take long for the pieces to all fall together. An abandoned hospital, being drugged and waking up alone, the screens...

 

The TV flickered on. It was just static at first but soon it formed into a shape. That Goddamn doll.

 

‘ _Hello, Detective Liebgott. I want to play a game. For years you were the very model of an upstanding police officer. Your partner was recognized for ‘accomplishments’ and instead of continuing on the righteous path and revealing his misdeeds, you chose to embrace the corruption. You have used your badge to obtain what you have wanted for so long - money, women, drugs, glory. For being robbed of one opportunity you have thrown your whole life away. You are a glutton with a lust for power who has taken away everything valuable in sight for the thrill of knowing you_ **_could_** _. Look and you will see I have now taken something valuable from you._ ’

 

The screen flashed and a room was revealed. There were three doors that looked bolted shut and four walls, nothing within it to give any clue as to where it was. There was a dark haired man within, pacing and screaming, pulling uselessly on the knobs and pounding his fists against the unyielding metal. The audio flicked on and the voice that had jarred him out of sleep filled the room.

 

“Where the fuck am I? Let me out!”

 

“Oh fuck, oh Christ,” Joe whined under his breath.

 

‘ _That is your David, is it not?_ ’

 

Jigsaw’s voice taunted him and even with sore teeth he wanted to _bite._

 

‘ _Your innocent partner who knows nothing of your infidelity, your filthy money, your dispense of injustice. He is secure in a room that could either be his safe haven or his tomb. The choice will depend on your swift action. There are those who will stand in your way to get to him. Your instincts will tell you one thing but I implore you to do the opposite. To change. I warn you though - every door can open another. The closer you get to saving him, the more he will learn about who you truly are. There are no more shadows to hide in, Detective. Act fast. Live or die. Make your choice._ ’

 

The long screen on the wall flicked on and it showed two hours, then it began to count down. David’s pacing came to a halt, face tipped up toward the camera. “Joe? Joe!”

 

“I’m here, baby,” Joe grit out as he worked on the tape around his wrists. He aimed for reassuring but even he could hear the strain.

 

“There’s a timer on the wall,” David called, voice grainy through the mic. “It says two hours. What the hell is it counting down, Joe? What the fuck is all this?”

  
“Stay calm and I’ll come to you,” Joe ordered, freeing one ankle with a sharp kick. “Don’t listen to a fucking word this guy says and keep your head down. Don’t touch anything.”

 

“That’s easy for you to say, you’re not trapped in a room! What’s going on?”

 

The TV went dead with a single blip. Joe roared in frustration and shook his hands, throwing his whole body around in the chair. He could feel skin and hair giving way underneath the tape but he didn’t care. This was a Jigsaw trap and he knew what had to happen for them both to survive.

 

He had to be ready to do anything, blood or no blood.

 

o0o0o0o  


_Joe wouldn’t admit to sulking but there wasn’t another way to describe what he was doing in front of the evidence board. He’d stopped mulling over it a while ago as his mind was miles away. His sergeant test results were on the table and he couldn’t stand the sight of it. He honestly was considering burning it when there was a knock on the door. He glanced over his shoulder and caught sight of two men. One a stranger, the other intimately familiar in his suit._

 

_Toye walked in, the boy in tow. “Hey, Lieb. You got that file on Esperaza?”_

 

_“On the table,” Joe grunted, pushing down the irritation the man’s presence evoked inside him. He didn’t want to see the badge flash on his hip or the crisp line of his suit. It was all a reminder of what he’d lost when his partner had been promoted._

 

_“Thanks.” He could hear Toye thumbing through the file. “Stopped by to give the Chief the bad news. Our digging around turned up jack shit. This guy’s slippery.”_

 

_Joe grunted again and caught a flash of the second man in his peripheral. “Who’s the kid?”_

 

_“This is Merriel Shelton, a CI we just signed.” He could hear Toye’s grin and then he knew he was fucking the kid already. “Caught him hacking, if you can believe that.”_

 

_“What’s that supposed to mean?” The kid had a Louisiana drawl. A true bred Cajun brat on the wrong side of the country. “I don’t look criminal enough for you, Toye?”_

 

_“Brat,” Joe scoffed, finally turning his head and giving the CI a look-over. Dark curls, a sharp jaw, and wide eyes that held something depthlessly dark within them. He looked rather intense for a skinny guy. He looked like the kind of criminal you didn’t want to corner, one that could go wild and tear out your throat if it meant getting away. Still, he had an appeal. “Pretty. Just your type.”_

 

_“I’m hoping he’s Hoosier’s type.”_

 

_Joe frowned at that. “Hoose? What’s he got to do with it?”_

 

_“I’ve assigned him to be his handler,” Toye replied easily, dragging his own eyes over Shelton. “I think they’d get along._

 

_“What a fucking menace,” Joe snorted in amusement as he pictured Hoosier’s face at being told he’d been promoted to babysitter. He turned his face toward Shelton and his lips curled up. “Hoose is blonde and tan. A real pretty boy type, kid. Don’t let it fool you though, he’s trigger happy.”_

 

_“Speaking of pretty…” Toye drug out, leaning against the table with a growing smirk. “I heard a rumor that you got yourself a Harvard boy.”_

 

_“He’s legal,” Joe defended quickly._

 

_“Always chasing those college boys,” Toye chuckled lowly, eyes sparkling with mirth._

 

_“He graduated and everything,” he countered, lips curving in a grin despite himself._

 

_“Uh-huh, sure.” Toye made a sure of nodding and thinking. “So...does he still need a nightlight or are we passed that stage?”_

 

_“We’re working on it,” Joe cracked. “It’s those fucking horror movies, man.”_

 

 _“Careful or you’re going to need rubber sheets.”_   


_  
Joe rolled his eyes. “Don’t insult my daddy skills. We haven’t needed those for weeks.” _

 

_The banter felt old and familiar. It felt damn good, just as good as seeing Toye’s teasing grin. He was looking at Toye, really looking at him, and in that moment he didn’t feel resentment. Then his ex-partner’s gaze fell to the sergeant packet and something strange crossed his face._

 

_“So what’s this?” Toye’s voice was tight. “Good news?”_

 

_Joe shook his head and turned back to the board, leaning on the table again._

 

_“Shelton, out,” Toye ordered._

 

_“Momma and Daddy need to talk, I get it,” Shelton scoffed, digging out a pack of smokes._

 

_“Don’t fucking light up in here or ‘Daddy’ will tan your hide,” Toye snapped._

 

_Shelton flipped him off and stormed out. It didn’t take a keen detective to see the half chub in his tight jeans. Yeah, they were fucking. Toye had a game he played with his CI’s and that kinky shit kept them in line._

 

_“Fuck this noise, man,” Toye scowled, binning the failed results as he came around to stand beside his ex-partner. “You don’t need this shit.”_

 

_“I can’t stay stagnant,” Joe confessed not for the first time. “I’m going fuckin’ crazy here.”_

 

_“Maybe you should transfer,” Toye offered, hip resting against the table as he tried to get the man to look at him. “A new division, a new city, it’ll do you good. Go to some other big city. Take your honor student with you, even. Harvard brat like him would probably love somewhere with culture and shit.”_

 

_“New York’s my home,” Joe mumbled, trying his hardest not to stare at the Fed badge on Toye’s hip. It only made his hunger grow. “I thought I was making something of myself here. I thought it was getting better.”_

 

_Toye shrugged. “Failing twice might be a sign to move on, Lieb.”_

 

 _Joe’s arms dropped and his hands curled into fists, jaw going so tight his molars ached._ **_Twice_ ** _. The word pinged around in his head, sharp and ringing true. He hadn’t told anyone about the first time he tried for the sergeant test. No one knew. Not Hoosier, not David, no one but the Chief and that was in confidentiality. By the time Joe forced himself to look at his ex-partner it was hard to breathe._

 

_“Twice,” he repeated lowly._

 

_Something flickered across Joe’s face but it was gone too fast to decipher._

 

_“I knew you would eventually,” he tried to cover. “You’re ambitious.”_

 

_“And you’re a piece of fucking shit,” Joe growled. “Who did you tell, huh? Who’d you run your mouth to?”_

 

_“Easy,” Toye cautioned._

 

_“Liebgott’s a loose canon. He’s a wildcard. He’s insubordinate,” Joe mocked the man’s rough voice, sneering. “What the fuck did you say, huh? You poison the Chief against me?”_

_  
_ _“Knock it off.” The command only made his skin itch. “I was your partner. I only want-”_

 

_“Shut up. Just shut the fuck up with that bullshit!” Joe snarled, feeling the feral edge of betrayal like a serrated knife. That old anger clawed back up from the surface. “You undercut me with the feds and you shit-talked me to the Chief. Didn’t you?” Toye’s unwavering stare only made him step up into his face. “Didn’t you?”_

 

_“Lower your voice,” Toye ordered firmly._

 

_Joe jerked back when the man reached for him. “I’m not a rookie anymore and I’m not one of your fuckhole CI’s, you can’t tell me shit!”_

 

_“You need to trust me on this.”_

 

_Joe’s throat was closing up. That was the same tone he’d heard a thousand times when he was the one being a screw up._

 

_“With everything you’re doing,” Toye stressed, leveling him with a knowing look. “You shouldn’t stick around here. You should move before they catch wise.”_

 

_“And how long do you think you can keep sticking your dick in CIs before they catch you?” Joe hissed through his teeth._

 

_Toye shot a glare toward Shelton who was fucking around on his phone outside. “I’m trying to protect you, Lieb.”_

 

_“From what? You?” Joe accused._

 

_The air was thick enough to choke on. Joe chewed at the bit for a fight, ready for anything, and he truly thought he was going to get it. Toye’s fist was balling up and he silently dared the man to swing it. They could settle this right here, right now. But instead a phone rang._

 

_Toye picked it up without breaking their stare-off. “Toye.”_

 

_Whatever was on the other end was apparently more important than this. Toye turned his back on him and left, snapping his fingers at Shelton and gesturing for him to follow. In moments they were gone._

 

_Joe knew his fists were shaking. He could barely rein himself in. He couldn’t explode, not like last time. He should’ve known Toye had something to do with his double rejection. Toye had always been the golden child, the poster boy for the precinct, a Chosen One. Toye hadn’t been trying to talk him into a new start, he’d been trying to root him out of his territory._

 

_Joe knew where all the skeletons were buried and Toye hadn’t forgotten that._

 

o0o0o0o

 

Joe followed the painted arrows on the walls but still slammed himself up against any door he could find. He’d studied Jigsaw cases at length with Carwood, he knew that everything had been pre-planned right down to his steps. They were Toye’s fucking cases. He should’ve known something like this was going to happen. He was too close. They weren’t any near catching Jigsaw but whoever the bastard was he was a man, an imperfect person. It was only a matter of time until he fucked up enough for them to follow.

 

Smart bastard was doing his research on the cops chasing him.

 

Every hallway Joe turned down seemed to have a new picture of David plastered to the wall. David in his scarf outside a coffee shop, at a table somewhere writing, looking through his camera, leaving his apartment, on that stupid bike of his. Joe wanted to roar. David was the one good thing he’d ever had all to himself. Something pure and _good_. If Jigsaw touched him he was going to burn this whole hospital to the ground.

 

And he didn’t give a shit who was inside it when he did it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are super appreciated and treasured <3


	3. Chapter 3

Joe carelessly busted through the first door that didn’t look boarded up and regretted his decision immediately. His mind flashed to bombs and spikes and blades but nothing hit him. He cursed at his own stupid move and froze, waiting, yet still...no ticks or clicks. But there was a trap of a different type waiting for him.  

 

There was a man strapped down to a metal table. He had on a suit, an empty holster, a hood to hide his face, and his arms were stretched out on either side of him. His hands were bound up in some kind of intricate mechanism. There was another complicated device strapped to the back of the table with a slot in it just about big enough for a hand to fit through.

 

“For fuck’s sake,” Joe cursed as he looked to the second door in the room. It didn’t look bolted and that man, whoever it was, wasn’t David. There was a tape recorder sitting on a stainless steel tray and he weighed his options. He could try to book it but this guy needed him. He hesitated because of the fear of the unknown. Who had Jigsaw taken?

 

The man struggled as Joe approached and took up the device, hitting play. ‘ _Hello, Detective Liebgott. Before you is an old friend, an aid in your road to self destruction._ ’

 

Joe scowled and ripped off the hood, gaping at the flushed face and mussed blonde hair beneath. _Hoosier_. He ripped the cloth gag out of his friend’s mouth and the man gasped roughly. “Fuck!”

 

Joe let out a humorless laugh. “You can say that again, buddy.”

 

‘ _He will be your test of selflessness._ ’

 

“Oh God, I’m fucked,” Hoosier rasped.

 

Joe smacked his cheek with a shush.

 

‘ _His hands are bound in a mechanism that will start when you open that door. It is not a forgiving vice. But you can forgive him at a price. Place just your hand within the device and suffer only a small pain or leave him to his fate. One door opens another. Blood for blood. Heed my warning._ ’

 

Joe let the tape run static before tossing it. Hoosier had washed out and his usually cocky friend was trembling under the straps. His brow was all pinched up and his mouth drew back in a snarl of confused frustration. “Is this that Jigsaw shit you assholes were pushing on us? This is _fucked_!”

 

“I don’t know what this guy has planned for me next,” Joe grit out. “What if I have to fight? I’m going to need my damn hand, Bill.”

 

“Fuck you!”  Hoosier roared, tears building up in his eyes as he pulled at the device. He struggled valiantly, screaming in frustration as his body arched taunt against the restraints. He collapsed against the metal and heaved for breath, eyes shining as they glared up at the detective. “I need my hands, Joe. I fucking _need_ them.”

 

Joe chewed his lip and eyed the door. “It’s not going to kill you.”

 

“It might as well,” Hoosier spat, knuckles going stark white. “Shootings all I got! _Fuck_!”

 

Joe jerked back as Hoosier started bucking wildly against the restraints. For a moment he looked like he was going to free himself out of sheer determination but the straps stayed in place. The tears started to fall as hot as the curses out of his mouth. The table rattled dangerously but didn’t give. Joe hated to see his friend like this and his chest ached as he watched him tire out.

 

“You bastard,” Hoosier wheezed, blinking hard to clear the tears from his eyes. “You spineless fuck. You’re going to let this asshole shred my hands into Wheaties and not even look back, aren’t you?”

 

Joe couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t considering it. Call him a heartless bastard or cold blooded or whatever you liked but he thought of _himself_. What if he needed his hand to help David? Hoosier had been a good friend to him, always had, even before they started trading favors. When they were decent reach of one another they had drinks, hung out, swapped ‘war stories’. Hoosier was like him in a lot of ways, temperamental and humorous with a strangely tuned moral compass. He knew that being a sniper had defined Hoosier for a lot of his life and that his job at the Marshal office depended on his finely honed skills.

 

He wasn’t just busting up his hands. He would be fucking with who Hoosier _was_.

 

“You’re here cause you’re trying to fuck up Toye, right?” Hoosier accused. A bitter grin twisted his lips when Joe couldn’t meet his eyes. “Shit. I knew something like this would happen. You should’ve just shot him and been done with it!”

 

Joe kicked the table with a heavy scowl. “Good fucking luck getting out of here yourself then, asshole!”

 

“Fuck you!”

 

“Fuck _you_!”

 

Joe headed toward the other door dead-set on leaving, hands or no hands. He couldn’t risk his hands or David’s life for Hoosier, especially not when he was being a jackass. Hoosier would be fine. He’d live. That’s what he tried to convince himself, at least. If he left he couldn’t be sure what Jigsaw would do with Hoosier but could he risk it?

 

Hoosier gulped for breath, chest shaking as he tried  to keep his voice from trembling. “Joe...Joe, please don’t do this. I never did anything to you. I-I’m not squeaky clean, for fucks sake, and maybe I deserve this, but at least you can trust me?”

 

Joe slowed and clenched his eyes shut. _Don’t give in. He’ll be fine_.

 

But he knew that was a lie.

 

“I don’t give a shit how many people you fuck over. You know I won’t say shit,” Hoosier swore fervently. “Fuck my job, Joe. I can get another one. Just don’t let him fuck up my hands.”

 

Joe came to a stop and braced his hand on the door, the other fanning out in front of him. He didn’t know what kind of damage that machine could to do him and he honestly didn’t want to find out. Still unsure what he would do, Joe threw open the door with baited breath. There was a beat of silence before a heavy rush of machinery, gears grinding somewhere he couldn't see. The mechanism attached to Hoosier’s table roared to life and startled them both.

 

Hoosier yelped sharply as vice clamps came down onto his hands. They didn’t crush but they pinched in tight, edges biting into the skin. “Joe!”

 

Joe tried to walk through the door but couldn’t get past the threshold. He stared into the empty hallway and chewed his lip, nails raking against the frame as he struggled with himself.

 

“ _Joe_!”

 

The trap started to whir and the first heavy click made his heart jump into his throat. He whipped around and saw that the clamps had started to spin one clamp at a time. It wouldn’t just smash his hands. It had been created to wrench his hands _off_.

 

Joe was standing in front of the device before he truly realized he had moved. He shoved his hand inside the slot and found a pressure plate. He didn’t give a second thought to pressing down and then he couldn’t think at all. A blinding white pain wiped his mind as three sharp spikes shot straight through his hand.

 

Hoosier’s screaming was replaced with his own.

 

o0o

 

The screen had long turned off but the timer was still running down. It had been nearly an hour.

 

David could admit he wasn’t the bravest man but still he hated the way he whimpered pathetically as one of the doors swung open. It wasn’t the largest sealed door that was obviously the way out but one of the two smaller ones. He was smart enough to be cautious as he approached but still managed to be disappointed when the door led to a closed off room.

 

The walls within were plastered with pictures of Joe. David’s jaw dropped and for a second he was afraid his knees were going to give out. He braced himself against the wall and gaped at the images. It was definitely Joe in those pictures but David recognized less savory characters. Mobsters, high profile criminals, faces he’d gotten to know through his investigative journalism. And he didn’t look like he was plotting to take them into custody. There was Joe with his mouth twisted in an ugly snarl and fists balled mid-attack, rough looking men falling prey to the violence.

 

There were pieces of files taped up next to some of the pictures. Autopsy reports.

 

David crept closer to one of the pictures that had clearly been taken through a window, swallowing thickly around the new lump in his throat. He was sitting across from someone David had never seen before with that cocky smirk and spread-kneed sprawl. There was a distinct white powder line on the glass table between them.

 

“What the fuck, Joe?”

 

o0o0o0o

 

_They were both a little too drunk but Joe didn’t care. They’d been fucking for a couple months and had been eye fucking each other all night through dinner and drinks. His rhythm was a little sloppy but his blood was fizzling under his skin and it was hard to concentrate when David felt so good. That fat, soft ass against his hips every time he bottomed out, the smell of his hair, the sound of his wrecked moans, the way he spread his eager thighs like it was the best fuck he’d ever had. They were pressed so tight Joe was panting, crushed and consumed, fucking David into the bed as if it were the last time. Oh, how his little up-town princess had riled him up tonight. That silver tongue could spit barbs and kick up debates better than it could suck cock._

 

_If David didn’t come before him, Joe swore he was going to tonguefuck his hole for as long as it took to get him off as a reward for being such a smart bastard._

 

_David’s breathless gasps started to take form and his ears caught on them. “Fuck, I love you.”_

 

_Joe’s hips stuttered and he dropped down to his elbows over his boyfriend to keep from collapsing completely. He blinked the sweat from his eyes and tried to focus back on the real world outside the fuck haze they’d been wrapped up in._

 

 _“Joe?” David whined and ducked his head like he’d done something wrong. “M’sorry.”_   


_Joe pressed a wet kiss to his nape before flipping him over. David went easy, pliant and pouting, but his mouth fell open in a pleased gasp as he was kissed. Joe licked deep between those sinful lips until he was sure he’d eaten up all the doubt he’d seen before. When David was wriggling and arching up into his hands he cupped the back of his thigh, hiking his leg up over his shoulder. He caressed the other thigh, spreading David out beautifully._

 

_“Good boy,” Joe hummed, brushing one last kiss on his swollen mouth before fucking back inside to that sweet heat. He watched David’s head fall back and how his wet lashes shuddered, a tear escaping into the thick of his hair. Tenderness bloomed past the lust and Joe slowed to a smooth, deep tempo that had their whole bodies pulsing with need._

 

_David felt like he was shivering apart beneath him and he placed a kiss to his fluttering pulse, pressing tight as he rolled his hips._

 

_“Say it again, baby,” Joe whispered against his skin. “One more time. For me?”_

 

_David mewled so sweetly that he was sure he was going to come. “I love you.”_

 

o0o0o0o

 

“Ah _shit_. Joe! Are you okay?”

 

“How the fuck am I supposed to be okay?” Joe growled as he ripped off his button-up and wrapped it around his hand to try and stop the bleeding. The spikes had done what was promised but at least they’d retreated when the buzzer went off. He could still flex his hand but it was a whole new world of pain. He could only compare it to the time he got clipped in the leg. Hoosier was staring at him with shocked eyes and he wanted to slap him. His hands were bruised and still strapped in the machine but hadn’t been hurt beyond that.

 

Jigsaw hadn’t lied. He’d spared Hoosier’s hands at the cost of one of his own.

 

“Get me out of here,” Hoosier begged, wiggling his fingers to keep the blood flowing and to assure himself he truly was okay.

 

“I don’t have a key,” Joe gruffed out, putting pressure on the wound. “I know Jigsaw, though. If you pass his test he’ll let you go.”

 

Hoosier didn’t look convinced and when he moved to leave the room he pulled against his restraints. “Don’t leave me, man.”

 

Joe glanced at the timer on the wall and winced. “I have to.”

 

“Hey! Joe, wait, just-” Hoosier groaned and pulled at his hands but nothing gave. “Have you seen Mer?”

 

That gave Joe pause. “Shelton?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

His hand throbbed like he’d stuck it in bonfire ash and he could taste blood between his teeth. He turned and started his way back, rage boiling up like bile in the back of his throat. “What is he doing here?”

 

“Last thing I remember we were together,” Hoosier admitted.

 

“I’ve got _three_ fucking holes in my hand for you and you ask about _Shelton_?” Joe spat the words like venom, teeth bared in an ugly smile as he came up to the table. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

 

Hoosier smacked his head off the table and huffed out a loud breath. “I don’t know where the fuck he is and you’re in front of me, Joe. Obviously you’re alive!”

 

“You wanna know something about your little Fuck Up?” The words fell from his lips sharp enough to slice and Hoosier winced. Joe braced his good hand on the table and leaned over his friend with a malicious grin. Something ugly and bitter stirred up inside him and loosened his tongue. “Toye’s fucking him.”

 

The devastation that washed over Hoosier’s face gave him a sick joy that he would’ve worried about if he wasn’t so fucking _livid_. Hoosier’s mouth gaped a few times like a fish but he’d gone still. It must’ve been a fear in the back of Hoosier’s mind at some point because he swore he saw realized fear pour into his expressive eyes. “What?”

 

“Yeah. Toye’s been fucking him since he recruited him.” The belts rattled against metal from how hard Hoosier’s arms were trembling. “Not so much anymore now that Snafu’s all hung up on you.”

 

The timer was counting down but Joe couldn’t feel its weight. He watched Hoosier’s face, waiting, and then the expected sneer came. “Did Toye-?”

 

“Oh, you think he forced him?” Joe tisked in mock-amusement. “Adorable. Your boy _begged_ for it, Hoose. Big, good looking guy like Toye? Yeah, he couldn’t get on his knees fast enough. Toye probably has some videos squirreled away if you want to see for yourself.” He pinched Hoosier’s cheeks between his fingers and could feel the way the man wanted to bite him. “It’s how he keeps his CIs loyal and complacent. Smart, right?”

 

“You fucking liar,” Hoosier bit out through clenched teeth.

 

“He finds the prettiest little cocksucking criminals and puts them on the payroll. It’s how he made it into the FBI. So you stay here and get all fucking worked up about Toye’s sloppy seconds.” He smacked Hoosier’s cheek before pushing away from the table, clutching his wrapped hand to his stomach. “I got shit to do.”

 

Joe put his back to him and refused to turn around. He’d wasted enough time and David needed him. He passed into the hall when Hoosier started screaming his name, demanding he come back. It ended in a choked off sound and metal-on-metal as the door slammed. Joe’s step faltered but he forced himself to keep going.

 

Hoosier was in charge of himself now.

 

There was one door that wasn’t boarded up and he headed through it with a more careful eye. There was no trap and no movement as he stepped through the door into a small room with a busted ceiling and a ladder. A small screen had been mounted on the wall and he feared what it would show. There was a table with a box on top and he was trying to figure it out when the door slammed itself shut behind him. He jumped and cursed himself for it. What else did he expect?

 

Joe opened up the box and there was a note beside a delicate hill of white powder.

 

**For Your Sacrifice**

 

His stomach twisted up at the thought of Jigsaw laying out _coke_ of all things for him. But when he touched it and took a whiff he realized it was clotting powder. He’d know that particular stench anywhere. There was a camera in the corner and he shot it a scowl as he unwrapped his hand. “You really had a lot of faith in me, huh fucker?”

 

Joe poured what he could into the holes in his hands and cursed up a storm, choking back screams as it burned through him. He might as well have poured flesh eating bugs straight into the wounds for how much it stung and itched. Maybe it was another reckless move on his part but he didn’t see much of a choice. It was a relief when it worked and the puncture wounds started to dry up.

 

Joe tore apart the box and found gauze under a false bottom. He was wrapping his hand as best he could when the screen clicked itself on.

 

“Joe?”

 

It was a shot of the room David was being kept in but one of the three doors there had been opened. David came running through it, head tipped back to look up into the camera. Joe felt the tight fist in his chest relax as he saw his boyfriend’s face. He touched the edge of the screen with a faint smile. “David…”

 

David returned his relieved smile for a moment before his expression closed off. He stormed back into the other room and Joe didn’t get a chance to ask what was wrong before he came back with pictures. He held two of them up and it took the camera some time to come into focus but when he did that painful knot of pressure was back in his chest. He didn’t know where the hell Jigsaw had gotten them or who sold him out but it was hard to deny a direct shot of his face.

 

“You want to explain what this is?” David snapped, rattling the pictures. “Because it looks like you’re dealing.”

 

Joe’s tongue felt fat and stupid in his mouth. Usually he was good at arguing with David, sharp as the Harvard brat, but his lies were coming unraveled before his eyes and he wasn’t sure what to do. “It’s not like it’s black tar heroin, for fucks sake.”

 

David threw down the pictures. “So it’s fine as long as it’s _coke_?”

 

“Better than heroin.”

 

“So you’re dealing and beating people up?” David’s pretty face was twisted in hurt and anger like he’d never seen it. “You’re a fucking _detective_ , Lieb!”

 

“Yeah? I hadn’t noticed,” Joe snarked, cradling his hand to his chest as he tied off the gauze. His tone was sharp but his stomach had soured in devastation. What little satisfaction he’d got from telling Hoosier the truth rotted away in his chest as his own secrets were exposed. He’d never meant for David to find out.

 

“I can’t believe this,” David lamented, hands working nervously over his arms as his t-shirt did very little to keep the chill of the cement away. “If anyone found out about this you’d be fired, charged...did you ever think of that? _Prison_ , Joe!”

 

“I’d rather eat a fucking gun than go to prison,” Joe growled.

 

“That might be your only option if anyone finds out,” David pointed out. “If this guy can get these pictures, how fucking hard would it be for someone like you or me? Anyone else could know. Have you thought about that?”

 

“Sorry, Web, I’ve been a little too busy trying to save your ass!” he shot back hotly.

 

“Is that why I’m here?” David questioned like it just hit him. “This is Jigsaw, isn’t it? And he’s getting back at you for being a dirty cop?”

 

There was a nervous edge to his babble and Joe knew his boyfriend was teetering on the edge. “David, just...hang in there, okay? I’m coming for you. I’m going to get you the hell out of here.” He could hear a whine through the mic and it broke his heart. “No one else knows about any of this. I promise.”

 

“You can’t be sure about that.”

 

“No one else knows,” Joe swore. “Anyone else who could back that shit up is dead. I made sure of it.”

 

The image quality wasn’t the best but he could read the horror in those wide eyes clear as day. David backed up until he hit the opposite wall, arms closed protectively around himself. Joe cursed himself for the poor choice of words but they’d slipped out before he could realize how awful they sounded. He had always hidden his bloodlust from David, smothered up his vengeful side and put on his best face to keep his boyfriend in the dark. Jigsaw was fucking it all up.

 

“Baby, it’s still me,” Joe soothed as best he could. “I’m coming for you right now, okay? Don’t pay attention to that shit. I’ll be there soon.”

 

David was shaking his head when the screen cut out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the amazing response!!! I'm so excited to give you more of this universe. Your comments give me life, honestly. It's been stressful lately and you guys keep me going

Joe found another door waiting for him once he climbed the ladder. He was too distracted by the throb in his hand to recognize the trap for what it was. The door swung shut and locked itself with a whoosh of machinery. He wanted to bite and curse, trapped like a damn rat in a maze. He didn’t like being out of control or being forced on rails like an experiment.

 

But he wasn’t the only one trapped. There was a man in a cage across the room. He’d know that face anywhere. It was the IAB agent that had been investigating both him and Lipton for the past year. The man he knew was building a damn good case against him.

 

“Sobel.”

 

“Liebgott,” Sobel snarled. “I should’ve known you had something to do with this.”

 

“I didn’t do shit for this.”

 

“Then why am I in your fucking Jigsaw game?” Sobel roared, trying to shake the unyielding bars.

 

“Maybe I’m in yours?” Joe snarked, heading toward the tray table in the middle of the room. There was a tape player on top and two sets of pliers.

  
  
“You get a tape?” he asked Sobel.

 

The man rolled his eyes and he wanted to deck him. “Obviously not or I’d know what the fuck is going on. I woke up in this cage.”

 

Joe clicked the tape on and it crackled in the tiled room. ‘ _Hello, Detective Liebgott. If you are hearing this, you have passed your first test. I am afraid your second will not be so easy. I have placed before you the man who has been investigating you and your partner. As you know, he’s been building a case of your so-called acts of justice. From what I have seen, he is quite convincing. It is only a matter of time before he shines a light on your shadows._ ’

 

Joe wanted to smash it but restrained himself.

 

‘ _The game is simple. I have placed two numbers upon each of you in a spot not easily reached. You must work together to discover them and place them in the correct order to open the door_.’

 

A cone light came on and illuminated a chart stuck to the wall. It was two matching mouth x-rays with wide arches made of teeth. That growingly-familiar green paint pointed toward two back teeth on each picture. In almost perfect unison, Joe and Sobel rubbed a finger across those same teeth and felt something etched there.

 

Sobel made an ugly choking sound and paled. “Shit.”

 

‘ _This is your chance at redemption, Detective. Come clean and begin your life anew. Or stay on your corrupted path and learn nothing. I will give you a hint: It’s a number you are both intimately familiar with. The tools are before you. Let the game begin._ ’

 

“We’re going to have to pry each other’s teeth out. This is fucking bullshit!”

 

Sobel’s pathetic whimpering grated on Joe’s nerves and set his already aching teeth on edge. He dug his thumb into his temple and tried to think with the silent echo of the timer in his head. Sobel had been on his ass since his blowup with Toye and he knew the man had been following his scent. He’d managed to stay a dozen steps ahead of Sobel but how long could he keep that up? This place was riddled with evidence if what David had showed him was anything to go by. If Sobel went free, his whole life was over. He’d have all the pieces he’d need to file charges.

 

Joe didn’t have time for this. David needed him and time was slipping away. He braced his hand on the tray and spat out a curse. Something rattled and he zeroed in on it. That wasn’t right. He kept his head bowed as he subtly ran his thumb under the edge of the tray. It caught on a distinctive shape.

 

Everything clicked into place all at once.

 

“You know, Sobel,” Joe began, nails digging into the tape holding the weapon. “Maybe we don’t have to pull each other’s teeth.”

 

“You want to fucking _guess_? That’s smart,” Sobel snorted. “Use your fucking head, Liebgott.”

 

“Oh, I am.”

 

“So what should we do instead?”

 

Joe ripped the knife from the tray and held it out in one swift movement. “Maybe I just need to rip out _yours_?”

 

Sobel threw himself back as far as he could go, hitting the other wall of bars. “What the _fuck_ , Joe?”

 

“I mean…” He turned the knife toward the light. “It’s a lot easier to guess when you know two numbers.”

 

o0o0o0o

 

_It was quiet. Joe enjoyed the the blues that made up his boyfriend’s bedroom. It was soothing. David was sprawled out beside him, fucked out and wild-haired like he should always be. They smoked in lazy drags and enjoyed the warmth of one another, the breeze from the window, the lingering tingle between their thighs. They were both mouthy and sarcastic so it wasn’t often they had quiet moments but when they did it was sweet._

 

_“I’m proud of you,” David murmured fondly, the words passing from his lips with a curl of smoke._

 

_Joe choked on an inhale. “What?”_

 

_“I am,” he insisted with a chuckle. “I tell my friends all the time about my detective boyfriend. I admire it.” He flicked his ashes in the ceramic bowl between their hips. “You put yourself in danger every day. You’re investigating real criminals, saving people, and I...I want to do something like that, but I’m a coward.”_

 

_David dropped his eyes and Joe turned on his side, watching the emotion play across his his face. “Nah, Web.”_

 

_“I am,” David grumbled. “I just hide behind a camera and my stories and I hope I make waves.”_

 

_Joe sat up and stubbed out his smoke, setting the ashtray aside to scoot closer. He wasn’t sure what to say. David was so rarely uncertain that it threw him for a loop. David mimicked his motions, sitting up with a smile. The soft kiss surprised Joe almost as much as his boyfriend’s words. “Maybe one day we can work together, huh? Become a power couple.”_

 

_Whatever David saw on his face turned his smile more hesitant, uncertain. “I’m not trying to out you or anything. I know how cops are, Joe, but it’d be cool to be able to help you.”_

 

_Joe wasn’t sure what came over him but he moved faster than he could process the strong emotion bubbling up inside him. He grabbed David by the nape and kissed him hard enough to clack their teeth. David fought him at first, palms pushing lightly at his shoulder with a whine. A rough, growling noise scraped Joe’s throat as he fisted a hand in thick, dark hair to take back the control he’d felt slipping._

 

_“Joe?” David gasped against his slick lips but it only put steel into his protective instincts. He tossed David down on the bed, the ashtray bouncing off and hitting the floor with a clack. He rolled his boyfriend beneath him and pinned his pawing hands to the mattress. It was easy to hold David down with just the power of his hips and he slanted his mouth across that pretty mouth, fucking deep between his lips in harsh sweeps. Joe waited until David went boneless before he broke the kiss._

 

_“I don’t want you where I’m at,” Joe rasped. The hurt look in those ethereal eyes made his chest ache. He grabbed David’s jaw and forced him to look at him when he tried to turn away. “Hey.”_

 

_David mumbled his name, shivering beneath him._

 

_“It’s dangerous where I am,” Joe expressed, thumb rubbing along the faint stubble on his chin. “I want you doing National Geographic and hipster magazines and culture pieces for the New York fucking Times. I don’t want you anywhere near the bastards I fuck with.”_

 

_He softened his touch and bussed a kiss across his mouth. “I want you safe.”_

 

_It sounded a lot like ‘I love you’ and he feared he’d gone too far but he didn’t look away. He wanted - no, needed - David to know the truth. He breathed easier as David nodded and leaned up to kiss him briefly. When he spoke his voice was soft once more._

 

_“Okay, Lieb.”_

 

o0o0o0o

 

_Thunk. Thunk._

 

Joe grunted with each thrust, eyes clenched shut and teeth grit against the stench of copper. His shoulder ached with the effort but it faded as blood rushed hot under his hands. He told himself with each blow that he was doing this for David, for the life they could have, for something good to grow out of all this ugliness.

 

 _Thunk_.

 

He could lie to David. He could lie to Lipton and the police and Hoosier, to everyone. But he couldn’t lie to himself. He knew why he’d chosen this. Every bruise and scrape and busted lip throbbed and told him exactly why he was here. He’d done this for himself, always himself.

 

 _He_ didn’t want to get caught. _He_ wanted to kill the man who had called his bluff.

 

Joe ripped the knife out of Sobel’s ribs for the last time. He tilted his head back to the ceiling and struggled to catch his breath. He’d been aiming for the kidneys, the liver, anything precious he could reach. Sobel had stopped squirming two blows ago and the hilt of the knife was slippery enough to make him fumble.

 

It had been one hell of a fight. He hadn’t expected it. Sobel had gotten in a few blows but Joe had cut him up one slice at a time. He’d bled Sobel, slowed him down, and now it was over. Joe would come up with some excuse later, make up some kind of bullshit about Jigsaw tricking him. Maybe he’d say Jigsaw had put a mask on Sobel and how he had raged at him in a fit of adrenaline and fear or _something_. It didn’t matter. It was going to be tricky with Sobel’s blood seeping into his nail beds but he’d managed.

 

Joe got up and ignored his wobbly knees to get to the pliers.

 

o0o0o0o

 

David pressed his head and palms to the cool concrete and counted his breaths to keep them calm. He clenched his eyes shut and tried to remember an old meditation technique. _Breathe in pure white light, breathe out black smoke_. The room was spinning. A cold sweat beaded along his shoulders and the dip of his back. He needed to get his heart and his lungs under control or he was going to pass out.

 

He was a journalist for fuck’s sake. He knew he should’ve been going through the files and piecing together what the hell was going on but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. His hands were shaking. He didn’t want to move. There were cameras in the corner so he knew someone was watching but he tuned it out.

 

David just wanted to see Joe again. Even if his boyfriend was a dirty cop, even if he’d killed without just cause...he still loved him. He’d only said it once but it was true. Murder was hard to swallow and he was choking on it.

 

Another buzzer went off and he jolted against the wall. He heard a door opening and hope shot up through him. His heart sunk when he saw it was only the second door, not the reinforced steel he was sure was the way out.

 

“Fuck,” David cursed lowly. There was nothing good to be found there but he couldn’t ignore it. He wasn't sure what else Joe could’ve been hiding from him that Jigsaw wanted to show him but he wouldn’t turn away from it. He owed that to himself.

 

o0o

 

The second Joe saw the numbers etched into Sobel’s teeth he knew what they were. He dug the man’s badge out of his pocket. The leather was wet with blood and the metal inside was slick but the numbers were clear. The four digit combo was his badge number.

 

“Not that clever, asshole,” Joe scoffed, stuck in a spectrum of mania with the fresh adrenaline lacing his blood. “Jokes on you, Jigsaw! I would’ve done that for free!”

 

o0o

 

The nausea was back, the dizziness. David looked from one picture to the next with a growing vertigo. The drugs and the sick drop of realization had his knees weak. The pictures weren’t of violence but _lust_. It was Joe, _his_ Joe, fucking other people. He didn’t believe it, he couldn’t, but his eyes caught on the timestamps. He’d done enough editing and photography to spot a fake and these looked all too real. A lot of the people were rough looking, maybe criminals, but the dates that overlapped with their relationship featured only one man.

 

 ** _George Luz_**. The name was painted on the wall above the pictures. He was handsome, David noted idly. Especially when he was freshly shaved. He had fluffy hair and dark eyes. There were at least a dozen pictures of this stranger sucking Joe off in a car, through a window, in a back alley, wherever. The shock and horror didn’t keep David from recognizing Joe’s clothes in some of the pictures. David could vividly remember being with his boyfriend on the days he wore those exact same outfits. Most of those days they’d fooled around, some of those days he’d let Joe fuck him. They’d been good, long fucks too. Meaningful, sweet, passionate - at least on his end. If he thought about it he could still remember Joe’s fingers carding through his hair, the sweetness of his kiss, the gentle way he’d opened him up to slip inside like he was made of glass. Like he was precious and loved, worth taking his time on.

 

They’d made love and there Joe was mere hours later getting sucked off and loving it.

 

 _Making love_. David’s face burned in humiliation and for a moment he thought he was going to hurl on his own shoes. He buried his face in his hands and put his back to the wall when he couldn’t take another moment of it. “I’m so stupid. So fucking stupid and blind.”

 

o0o0o0o

 

Joe dropped the badge after the door slammed shut behind him. He heard the nail bomb go off but didn’t flinch. He felt wild, feral, ready to bite out the next throat he saw. He could admit he was shaken from seeing Lipton and he’d been too afraid to say anything to his partner. Whatever Lipton was in here for, Joe didn’t want to drag the man into his own shit. He knew Lipton wasn’t exactly clean but they stayed out of each other’s business. He backed Lipton’s stories whenever they veered off the truth.

 

 _Fuck_. He couldn’t believe Jigsaw had snagged Lipton. Joe had done awful things, but Carwood Lipton? His crimes couldn’t have been all that horrible. Taking bribes and fucking with evidence was one thing but Lipton was a damn good man. He had a kind heart and nothing but unconditional love for his husband. He’s sounded so sincere through the glass, scared to death and shell shocked. Joe was sure he’d freaked his partner out by staying silent but couldn’t have risked implicating himself if he later claimed to have been drugged later.

 

He could hear Lipton yelling through the thick layer of wall but he couldn’t stop for anything. He needed to get to David.

 

o0o0o0o

 

_Joe didn’t usually get fucked up with his CIs but tonight had been rough. He had a dozen bruises from a chase gone bad and he’d had to let the guy go in the end on a technicality. David was wrapped up in a project and would be out of state for a week so he didn’t even the option to cuddle something pretty. Luz’s call had come out of the blue and there were worse things than being coked up and sprawled out on the dealer’s couch. Luz laid out on the floor beside him, hands laced behind his head and idly watching some reality show on the TV._

 

_“You know,” Joe began, his own voice sounding a bit muffled. “I don’t even want to be here.”_

 

_“Then get out,” Luz grunted without looking._

 

_“I mean fucking around with you,” Joe clarified._

 

_The dealer tossed an empty solo cup at him and it bounced harmlessly off his knee. “Then stop asking for it!”_

 

_“Why don’t you stop giving it?” Joe shot back. “I’m not forcing you.”_

 

_“I want what you got. I mean, free coke? Why not?” Luz snorted. His voice softened into something more subdued and he dropped his gaze from the TV. “And you keep threatening to tell Joe.”_

 

_“I’ve got a guy at home. He’s hot as hell, smarter than anyone I’ve ever met. Kinda reckless,” Joe bragged. “Uppity as shit too. One of those rich brats that need a good real-world backhand, you know? He’s got these eyes.”_

 

_Luz rolled his eyes at the way Joe whistled. “Yeah, sounds like a real catch. So why aren’t you with him right now?”_

 

_“Toye.” It was the simple answer but it tasted just as bitter. “He took the job I’ve always wanted.”_

 

_“Oh boo-hoo,” Luz drawled. “Just apply again.”_

 

_“Your boyfriend got me demoted,” Joe lied, knowing full well he was the one who’d thrown the punch in front of the Chief. “And I know too much for him to let me move up. He’s probably poisoned them against me.”_

 

_“You sound paranoid,” Luz grumbled under his breath, rolling onto his stomach._

 

_“I got rejected for sergeant twice. Twice,” Joe hissed, throwing up two fingers. “Toye did that. He bad mouthed me. He’s stuck me in this corner. He’s made me do this.”_

 

_Luz made a motion like a shrug. “You can’t blame him for everything.”_

 

_“I sure as fuck can.” Joe sat up on one elbow and glared down at the CI. “You tell him one word of this and-”_

 

_“Yeah, yeah, you’ll tell him everything,” Luz groused. “I get it, asshole.”_


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys have been super great and supportive. Every comment speeds me up <3

**Can You Forgive?**

 

Joe scowled at the words scrawled across the door in red. Though he wanted to kick it open he was careful as he eased it open. He expected it to slam shut behind him so he steered clear of it when he walked inside. It slammed on queue and he could hear the locks snapping into place. “You’re getting predictable, asshole.”

 

Joe had to eat his words as he looked around the room. There was something covered up on the far side of it. There was a row of hydrotherapy tubs but only one was illuminated and bubbling away with fresh water. There was an engine rigged to the tub and it sparked away with live electricity. There were three doors - one he’d come through, one that was barred with an automatic lock mechanism, and one that was heavily sealed.

 

Joe crossed the room to examine the sealed door. He had a feeling about it and he almost hoped he was wrong. It had several locks down the side but there was a master lock towards the bottom with only one small keyhole. He knelt down and rubbed his finger against it. It looked delicate. A small, tight fit that meant there was no picking it. Who knows what kind of mechanisms were set inside the steel door.

 

“What the fuck?” he growled, smacking his palm against it.

 

“Joe?” The voice was faint and then stronger. He could hear someone’s hands smacking their hands on the other side. The door must’ve been thicker than he’d thought. “Joe!”

  
  
“Fuck, David,” Joe cursed, pressing his ear to the door. “Thank God, baby. It’s okay. I’m going to get you out of here.”

 

“Who’s George Luz?”

 

The accusation made his blood run cold. “What?”

 

“Who the hell is he and all those other bitches you’ve been fucking?” David’s voice was sharp but there was hurt laced deep in every word. “There’s pictures in here. It’s not just the drugs, is it? This other room is full of this Luz guy blowing you and you look pretty Goddamn happy to be there.”

 

Joe thunked his head off the door as regret started to choke up into his throat. “It was before-”

 

“Don’t lie to me! There’s dates on them!”

 

“It’s forged,” Joe lied earnestly. “Don’t fucking believe anything you see.”

 

“Stop.” David’s voice threatened to crack. “Stop lying to me, Joe. I’m not stupid. I remember the clothes you wore.”

 

His stomach bottomed out with sick realization that this was it. David knew. In those rooms were proof of all his sins and the one person he’d been trying to protect could see them clear as day.

 

“Is that how it goes, Joe?” David laughed mirthlessly, trying to be cold but his heartbreak shined through. “He blows you in the morning and you fuck me at night. That’s a cushy deal, Detective.”

 

“David, don’t…” Joe pressed his forehead to the warming metal and wished to God he could take it back. “Those others were before you, I swear.”

 

“That I believe.” It was tentative but it was the truth.

 

“Luz is just-”

 

“He’s what?” David’s voice wavered. “Do you love him?”

 

“Christ, no,” he spat.

 

“Then _why_?”

 

He rubbed his palm along the door, heart beating hard behind his ribs. “You remember Joe Toye?”

 

David cleared his throat. It broke his heart because it sounded like David was crying. “T-The guy you said fucked you out of the FBI position?”

 

“He fucks CIs,” Joe admitted. “Luz is his favorite and I’ve been…”

 

A long silence stretched out between them and Joe wanted to bash his head against the door.

 

“David-”

 

“That’s fucking _sick_.” Joe was taken aback by the venom, the disgust. “You’ve been fucking around with this criminal, this _cokehead_ , to get back at your ex-partner?”

 

“Bribing him,” he corrected, shame burning away in his chest.

 

“Bribing him,” David deadpanned. “So Toye might have some feelings for this guy and you decide to, what? Make him blow you and threaten to tell Toye? Did you coke him up to?”

 

Joe chewed his lip and couldn’t bring himself to answer.

 

“Oh for Christ’s sake, Joe. That’s fucked up even for you! Were you in love with Toye or something?”

 

Joe bristled. “He fucking wishes.”

 

“Then why do you care so much?” David shot back. “Why are you doing all this?”

 

“Because he took everything from me!”

 

“Like what?”

 

“He bad-mouthed me and got my sergeant application rejected _twice_ ,” Joe growled. “He couldn’t stand to let me have anything good. He kept me a bottom bitch at that precinct to make himself look even better.”

 

“And how the fuck would you know that if you’ve never asked him?”

 

“I didn’t have to.” The words felt stunted in his mouth.

 

“Why didn’t you just transfer?” David needled.

 

“That’s what he wanted.” Joe was starting to realize how petty it sounded out loud and his justifications only made it worse. “I wasn’t going to let him win.”

 

He could just barely hear David’s stuttered sigh. “I would’ve gone with you.”

 

“David,” Joe murmured, palm gliding over the door. He wanted to touch his boyfriend’s face, kiss him, reassure him.

 

“I would’ve done anything to keep you from this,” David pleaded. “The drugs, the lies, cheating, all the people you’ve hurt...we could’ve gone anywhere.”

 

“We’ll go,” Joe rasped, nails skidding off the door. “I’m going to get you out of here and we’ll go.”

 

“Did you have to fuck him, Joe?” He could barely hear David now. “Wasn’t I enough?”

 

“You’re more than enough,” Joe swore. “You’re all I want.”

 

“Did you love me?” The words cut deep into his heart. “Even once?”

 

“David,” he pleaded, tripping over his words. “David, I...of course I-”

 

Lights flicked on and he could hear Jigsaw’s voice grating through the speakers.

 

_‘Congratulations, Detective Liebgott. You have made it to the end of your game. But have you learned your lessons on forgiveness and compassion? We shall see.’_

 

The bulging sheet was ripped off and a cage was revealed. A man was bound inside by chains and kept silent by a gag. Joe got up and squinted at the man. That jaw, the blond hair - that was Cobb. He was the son of the former police chief and current governor. He was a mouthy 'shooting star', a golden child. The Chief hung off his every word just because his father controlled the department’s budget.

 

_‘You have wasted your vengeance and wrath on Special Agent Toye. I present to you the man who has truly been the source of your degradation. He is the one who planned your rejected applications. He is the one who put your partner in the line for the FBI position you so desperately coveted. And he is the one who holds the key to David’s survival.’_

 

A cone light popped on and illuminated an x-ray. It was a key sewn into a shoulder with _**Cobb** _ etched onto it. The mounted screen on the wall lit up with what was left of the timer. Less than fifteen minutes.

 

‘ _There is not a lot of time, Detective. It is time to make your choices.'_

 

There was a buzzer somewhere above them and the cage popped open. The chains around Cobb went slack and the detective threw them off desperately, yanking out the gag with a gasp. “Shit, shit, _fuck_.” Cobb struggled with his jacket and revealed a heavy bloom of red.

 

So it was true.

 

“What the fuck?” Cobb was panicking, clawing at his shirt, he pulled the buttons apart to show the stitched wound. “That fucking bastard!”

 

“Hey, calm down!” Joe ordered, coming toward him with intent. He tried to shake off Jigsaw’s words. There was no time for that. “There’s a key in your shoulder and it opens that door. See that timer, Cobb? It’s going to run out real soon. So we need to hurry up.”

 

Cobb saw him pull the blood-caked knife from his belt and paled. “No way. I’m not going to let you hack me up for your fucktoy, Liebgott!”

 

That made him pause. “How do you know about him?”

 

“I’m not deaf, for one,” Cobb snarked, stepping out of the cage but never looking away from the knife. “Everyone knows you’re dating some college twink, Liebgott. You’re not as good at keeping secrets as you think.”

 

“I’m not going to slit your throat,” Joe grit out, approaching more slowly.

 

“Fuck you,” Cobb spat, side stepping him. “I’m not about to let some fucking slick-nickled Jew cut me open during a Jigsaw trap!”

 

Rage flared up so hot he could taste the heat on the back of his tongue. “That key is coming out one way or another.”

 

Cobb continued to dodge him. He wasn’t much of a detective but he was quick footed. He held out his hand but Joe didn’t trust his face. “Okay, fine. Give me the knife and I’ll do it myself.”

 

His knuckles went white around the handle. “Why? So you can keep it and run out the clock?”

 

Cobb chanced glancing at the timer on the wall. “What happens when it reaches zero?”

 

“Nothing good.”

 

“I say we take a chance,” Cobb offered amicably. “What’s the worse that could happen?”

 

Joe’s gaped dumbly at the man. What’s the worst that could happen? Cobb had been just as well informed as Joe about the Jigsaw cases. They had all been forced through briefings, made to memorize the profile and trap set ups. Cobb _knew_ what would happen. He could still hear David calling his name, scared and confused about what was happening. He didn’t know exactly what would happen when the timer was up but he knew it wasn’t good. Jigsaw demanded his games played and the consequences of failure were often fatal. “What’s...the worst?”

 

“Yeah. Maybe it’s nothing?”

 

“You fucking _bastard_.”

 

o0o0o0o

 

_Joe signaled the bartender for another shot and the woman shook her head at him._

 

_“Sure about that, honey?”_

 

_Joe dropped a twenty and slid it to her. She eyed him before dosing out two more shots. “And a beer to wash it down.”_

 

_“The answer to your problems isn’t at the bottom of this,” she scolded as she popped off the cap of a beer and set it on a napkin for him._

 

_“Thanks,” he snorted._

 

_“There’s no reason to be rude, Lieb.”_

 

_“What are you doing here, Harvard?” Joe sighed, hanging his head as he realized he was busted. “Pretty boys shouldn’t be caught dead in dives.”_

 

_“Then what you doing here?”_

 

_“I’m not pretty enough to count,” Joe countered tartly. He felt David lean against the counter next to him. Body heat bled through the layers of their clothes and he found comfort in it. He wasn’t sure how drunk he was but with the way he swayed closer he was sure he was pretty fucked. David was wearing that pretentious leather jacket with all the buckles and zippers, the popped collar, and those cute glasses he only had to wear at night._

 

_And his stupidly pretty boyfriend was smiling at him. “Pretty enough.”_

 

_“How’d you find me, Web?”_

 

_“Your partner messaged me,” David admitted easily._

 

_Joe’s eyes shot up from his beer and David flinched at the sharpness within them. “Lip? How the fuck do you two even know each other?”_

 

_David already looked ruffled but his jealousy didn’t ease. “You’re the one who introduced us.”_

_  
_   
_"Yeah, but I didn’t give you his fucking number.”_

 

_David’s own gaze narrowed and threatened to cut through him. “I’m going to let that slide because I can see how drunk you are.”_

 

_Joe winced and turned back to his drink. He couldn’t stay those judgemental eyes right now. They made him sick with guilt. Lotion-soft fingertips touched his jaw and urged him back. Though he fought it, he eventually gave in. He always did with David. “I worry about you on the job. I wanted him to have my number in case something happens to you.”_

 

_Joe’s jaw was clenched tight enough to make his teeth hurt. David must have felt it because he tipped his chin up until he could see his eyes. The judgement was gone, replaced purely by a compassion that humbled im._

 

_“Liebling,” David crooned, the sound pressing to his heart like a kiss. “I’m not interested in your partner. Who, as you know, is happily married to a Marine.”_

 

_“Sorry,” Joe muttered, tugging his chin free to go for his beer. David laid his palm over the lip of the bottle and forced him to lower it back down. “David…”_

 

_“Why don’t you come home with me, Detective?” David offered with one of those infuriatingly beautiful smiles. “I’ll tuck you in and everything.”_

 

_Joe wanted to keep drinking. That’s all he wanted to do lately. Drink until he blacked out and couldn’t remember what a failure he’d become, how far down the rabbit hole he’d fallen. He was fucked, completely fucked in every sense of the word. There was only one way his life could end now. He would either end up going to jail or getting shot down on the run. Then he really would have lost everything. Including David._

 

_But for right now, falling asleep in the strong curl of David’s arms sounded nice. Joe shed another twenty onto the bar and stood. All the shots came back to him at once and he wobbled dangerously as his foot caught on the barstool. David’s hand spread across his back to help him but it only made him laugh. “I’m fine, babe. Don’t worry about me.”_

 

_Joe swayed close with the intent of a kiss but stopped when he saw how uncertain David looked in the rough setting of the dive._

 

_“Let’s go back to your place, okay?”_

 

_“How ‘bout yours?” Joe insisted. He wanted to be in David’s bed among his books and clutter and those ugly ass throw blankets._

 

 _“You’re welcome there anytime. You know that.”_ _  
_   
  
  
“Lead the way.”

 

o0o0o0o

 

They matched each other blow for blow. Cobb had managed to knock the knife from his hand but only because his hand was crushed. It throbbed like a bitch and the pain mixed poorly with his adrenaline. They couldn’t get the upper hand on one another and time was running out fast.

 

It was David’s desperate screaming behind the door that drove Joe to a lucky strike. He clipped Cobb across the jaw and stunned the man enough for him to get a grip on his shirt and throat. He drove the man back with a roar and slammed him against the side of the bubbling, hissing hydrotherapy tub.

 

Joe felt Cobb’s pulse fluttering wildly under his hand and he only wanted to know one thing. “Did you do it?”

 

Cobb stuttered out a refusal and he gave him a good shake.

 

“Did you fucking do it?”

 

“Yes!” Cobb gasped, pushing at his hand. “Yes I fucking did! Let me go!”

 

“Why?” Joe demanded, heat rolling off the water not inches below them. “You fucking tell me, you motherfucker!”

 

Cobb surged forward and nearly bashed their heads together, eyes blazing with a fresh hatred like Joe had never seen. “You want to know why? Because you’re fucking _trash_ , Lieb. You’re just an urchin who got lucky. You’ve got everyone else fooled but I know you’re nothing, and that’s what you’ll always be. You don’t deserve sergeant! You don’t deserve _shit_!”

 

It wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard before but his resolve was cracking. “It...it wasn’t Toye?”

 

“Of course it wasn’t Toye, you fucking idiot,” Cobb cursed, trying to kick his knees out and failing. “You thought he was smart enough to put himself up for that fed position? You thought he wanted that shit over you? He stuck up for you! But his word didn’t mean shit against mine. And now with all this Jigsaw shit-” He snapped his mouth shut when he saw the malicious gleam in Joe’s eyes. The water hissed just beneath his head and he realized how close to the edge he was. “Okay. Fuck, _okay_ , Joe, I’ll do it! Give me the knife and I swear I’ll cut it out right now.”

 

Joe felt like he was burning up from the inside out. He thought about the sergeant exams, the looks in the bullpen, the too many years of being stuck on a desk and forced to flatfoot his way from paycheck to paycheck. Watching guys get promoted all around him and every year getting passed up. His long time partner getting taken from him and given the prime FBI spot that he’d been striving for.

  
  
“Fuck. You.”

 

Joe heaved Cobb off his feet and tossed him over the edge of the tub. There was a splash, a surge of electricity, and then Cobb started to flail. Joe shielded his eyes as sparks started to fly from the engine and the man’s screams cut through the air. It stretched on for a few horrifyingly long minutes and it took him as long to realize he was watching Cobb fry.

 

The smell hit his nose and he threw up across the dirty tile.

 

The engine short-circuited and died with a rattling groan. The water churned as Cobb kept thrashed and twitching but gradually he went still. Smoke rose from what of him wasn’t submerged and his skin was riddled in spidery red marks where the electricity had licked into him. Joe didn’t want to look but he made himself. He had done this and he knew what he still had left to do.

 

He spat out the last of the bile and steeled his nerve. He hesitantly touched Cobb’s hand and found him hot but with no hint of electricity. Joe grabbed the body under the arms and hauled him up to toss him out on the floor. He took the knife from the floor and ripped open Cobb’s shirt. There were the stitches in a nice, neat surgical line and along the middle was a tiny painted ‘x’.

 

Joe shoved the knife into the line and _ripped_. Blood oozed up like hot froth and spilled across the blade. He split the wound fresh and then shoved his hand inside to root around for metal. It was the easiest thing he’d ever done. He’d cut open a hundred men to get to David.

 

As his fingers skidded across the edge of the key he looked up at the timer. Less than two minutes and running down fast.

 

“Fuck, fuck,” Joe cursed breathlessly as he groped at the metal. He shoved his other hand in to pry apart the tissue and muscle to keep the key from slipping deeper. He got his fingers curled around it and yanked it out.  

 

“Joe!” David yelled, banging on the door from the other side. “What happens when the timer runs out? What fucking happens?!”

 

Joe made a run for the door and a sharp pain shot up through his knees when he dropped to the floor. His hands were dripping in Cobb’s blood and it was hard to hold on to the fragile key. He shoved it in the lock and tried to turn it either way but it was jammed. He could hear David beating his fists against the door and it echoed the sound of blood in his ears. He yanked the key out and felt along the line of it.

 

It was warped. Cobb’s body, the electricity, the water - it had warped the damn key.

 

“Shit!”

 

“Joe!” David pleaded. “Please unlock it. Please, I...I don’t care what you did, just don’t leave me here!”

 

Joe pushed at the key but it wouldn’t budge. He shoved it between his teeth and ignored the burst of iron across his tongue as he tried to straighten it through sheer force. The metal was soft and started to move. He popped it out and ran his thumb along it. Straight enough. He put the key back in the lock just two seconds after an alarm blared.

 

“No. Fuck, _no_ ,” Joe hissed, turning the key even as he heard a bunch of inner locks start to clack and slide into place inside the door. He could feel them rolling around beneath the metal, latching, and the key wouldn’t turn at all now. He jerked it around but there was no give. The alarm cut off into a harsh buzzer.

 

“Oh God,” David whimpered. “Joe, what...what happened?”

 

“The key.” He could barely hear his own voice as he stared down at the lock. He popped the key out and ducked down to look inside the lock but there was nothing but black. It was blocked. “David, can you see anything? A tape, a door, anything?”

 

“I’ve searched all over. There’s nothing.”

 

The speakers crackled to life. _‘Detective. I presented you with one last chance of redemption and you have squandered it. You looked into the face of your true enemy and could not find it in your heart to forgive. You have acted in selfish rage, as you have done all these years. Now you will see the consequences of your actions.’_

 

Joe shook his head, throat clogging up. “No.”

 

_‘Game over, Detective.’_

 

“No! Give me another chance!” Joe pleaded shamelessly, screaming to the camera. “I’ll do whatever you want! Just let him go! Fucking keep me here, you sick fuck, but let him _go_!”

 

The lights cut off and he threw himself against the door, eyes darting around the pitch room for signs of movement. His breath hitched as red emergency lights kicked on but they were faint. There was nothing new in the room but the doors were both sealed off. There was no way out he could see other than the sealed off windows and even that would take a miracle to get to. He had no idea how high up they were.

 

Everything was blurring in a sea of frustrated tears. Toye...his partner, his best fucking friend. He hadn’t done any of those things to him. He’d tried to help. Joe could remember every phone call he rejected from the man, every chance to explain. All for _what_? Petty anger? Some selfish self-righteous sense of injustice? Joe had been stomping through lives with reckless abandon since Toye had been promoted and all this time it could’ve been fixed. _What have I done? How did I let it get this bad? What I wouldn’t give to see him again..._

 

“I love you.” The words floated past his lips so easily that he wondered why he’d hesitated all this time to say it.

 

“Joe…”

 

“Can you hear me?” Joe turned his head and pressed his cheek to the cold metal. “I love you, David.”

 

“D-Don’t say it now. Not if you don’t mean it.”

 

“You know I mean it.” The first tear escaped and he sniffed to try and cover up the weak sound that was working its way up his throat. “That I always meant it. I didn’t say it and I should’ve. Should’ve said it back to you that night. God, you were beautiful. You always are. I don’t tell you that enough.”

 

He couldn’t hear it but he imagined he felt David’s hands rubbing against the door. “Say it again. For me?”

 

A ghost of a smile worked its way across Joe’s face as his words were thrown back at him. “I love you, and you’re beautiful.”

 

“Flatterer.” David’s chuckle tripped into a whimper.

 

“David?” he whispered, trying to stay calm. “Baby, are the lights still on?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“I can’t see any light under the door, is all.” Joe felt a sour, twisting sensation low in his gut. “Can you, uh, see any red emergency lights through the cracks?”

 

“No.”

 

Joe tried to keep his breathing under control but his lungs were trembling deep within his chest. All he could taste and feel was blood.

 

“Joe?”

 

“I’m here,” he promised.

 

“Joe, there’s something wrong.” David sounded so small and unsure. So unlike himself.

 

Joe tried to reply but his voice cracked. He cleared his throat and tried again. “What?”

 

“There’s no windows in here. There’s not even floor drains.” David’s voice trembled violently and he knew his love was crying. He turned and pressed his palms flat to the door, whispering his name. There was a muffled sob and it hurt his heart.

 

“Baby, don’t cry.”

 

“Joe, there’s...there’s no air vents.”


	6. Epilogue

_ Joe had been hitting on the gorgeous blue eyed boy all evening with little luck. He’d been insulted and ignored and all his drink offers had been refused but there was something that kept bringing him back. He was usually one to take a hint but the man kept eye fucking him across the bar and it gave him hope. He swore he’d seen jealousy on the boy’s face every time he started to seduce a pretty guy or girl. It drove him mad with desire. For once in a long time he yearned, wanted. Dare he think it, he needed to have that boy’s attention.  _

 

_ But the night was wearing on and he knew he had a graveyard shift the next night. He wasn’t in his early twenties anymore.  _

 

_ “It’d really be a shame if a beautiful thing like you went home all alone.” Joe laid it on thick, chuckling at the way the boy rolled those ethereal eyes. “How about another time? Dinner? Anywhere you want.” _

 

_ “I can buy my own dinner,” was the prim reply. Four strikes and he was out. _

 

_ “Can’t blame a man for trying.” He got his keys out and nodded toward the boy. “Be careful getting home, sweetheart.” _

 

_ Joe was about to turn to leave when the boy grabbed his elbow, frowning a little. “Hey, what’s that on your keys?” _

 

_ “This?” Joe held up his keys, the one token there catching dully in the light. “Project Aware. I dive in the summer. It’s this group that-” _

 

_ “I know what it is,” the boy cut him off, looking at him much more severely than he had earlier. It was like he was seeing him for the first time. “What do you think about finning?” _

 

_ “Are you fucking kidding me?” Joe snorted. “Every fucker who brags about eating shark or alligator is asking for a punch in the throat.” _

 

_ He was surprised to see the boy light up like he did. Strangely enough, he pulled out the barstool beside him and patted the seat. “Let me buy you a beer?” _

 

_ And how was he supposed to say no? _

 

o0o0o0o

 

“Special Agent Toye?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Detective Lipton and Mr. Speirs are here.”

 

“Put them up in the interrogation room. Treat them good, Johnny.”

 

o0o

 

Joe watched the husbands through the two way mirror. They had been brought in for questioning but he wasn’t ready let the detectives waiting outside have their chance at them. Not when they were sharing a moment. Carwood was holding his husband’s good hand, fingers laced, their heads bowed together. Ron was whispering assurances to him, words of love and devotion. There was nothing but naked relief on their faces. He didn’t blame them. After going through a Jigsaw trap and having both their arms half mangled, he couldn’t imagine how good it felt to be together at last. The kisses they shared now were far sweeter than any Joe could hope to taste in his lifetime.

 

They still couldn’t find Liebgott or Webster. He hoped to God they weren’t stuck in a similar fate.

 

Joe pulled out his phone and eyed the blank screen. He’d been waiting on a call from the hospital for almost an hour. Hoosier had been found drugged and bruised but thankfully alive. Joe suspected that if Hoosier had been part of any Jigsaw game it was probably Liebgott’s. And if Liebgott had been taken, how long was it until Joe himself became a target?

 

Joe looked up in time to see Carwood cup Ron’s cheek and lay a gentle kiss on his stubbled mouth. Even through the shitty mics he could hear the man’s whispered _I love you_ and the sincerity within it. They’d had eyes for no one but each other since they’d been put in the room. Joe believed Carwood would go straight from now on. He wouldn’t risk his husband again. They had a hard road in front of them but it was far from the end.

 

Joe unlocked his phone and texted Luz. 

 

**JT:** **_can I come over tonight?_ **

 

The response was almost immediate. 

 

**GL:** **_yeah door’s unlocked_ **

 

Joe pressed his tongue to his teeth and winced as his canine bit into the sensitive flesh. 

 

**JT:** **_Lock it. Don’t answer for anyone but me_ **

**GL:** **_everything ok?_ **

 

Joe pressed the top of the phone to his mouth with a sigh. All he could do now is pray and wait and hope.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments really keep me going, guys ;u;


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